Hazelnut Cake with Vanilla Cream Frosting Recipe

I don't know about you, but I'm always on the lookout for a good birthday cake, that won't take a whole day to make. You know the situation. It's someone's (or your) birthday and you want to make a cake, but the list on your mind immediately skips to some kind of Chocolate Cake. Not saying there is anything wrong with Chocolate Cake. I even have a luscious Chocolate Cake Recipe on this blog as well.

But if you want to mix it up, look no further. This cake has a great hazelnut flavor, is not overly sweet and the vanilla cream that goes inside is heavenly. So here is the recipe, as well as some making of shots.

Ingredients

For the cake
- 5 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
- 130 gr (2/3 cup) sugar
- 5 tbsp cold water
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 150 gr (1 1/4 cup) all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 100 gr (3/4 cup) hazelnuts (ground, either plain, or roasted and with skins removed)

- 100 ml (1/2 cup) milk
- 1-2 tbsp rum extract

For the Vanilla Cream
- 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
- 100 gr (3/4 cup) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract, or vanilla bean paste
- 4 tbsp corn starch
- 100 gr (3/4 cup or 4 ounces) white chocolate
- 70 gr (1/2 cup) hazelnuts (ground, either plain, or roasted and with skins removed)
- 180 gr (3/4 cup) softened unsalted butter

Method

1. Prepare your 24 cm (9 inch) springform tin, by buttering the bottom and sides, then place a round piece of parchment or baking paper on the bottom of the tin, and butter the surface of the paper again with butter.

2. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Place 5 egg yolks in your standing mixer or a big bowl if you are using a hand mixer, add the sugar and cream for 2 minutes or until thick and creamy. Add the water and oil slowly and mix again.

4. Sift the flower and baking powder and add it spoon by spoon into the eggs and sugar mixture, beating after each addition.

5. After that, add the hazelnuts, also spoonful, by spoonful into the cake batter.

6. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

7. Lightly fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter, until combined, and place into your prepared springform tin.

8. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester, entered into the middle of the cake, comes out clean.

Now let's prepare the vanilla cream. You can use this cream on other cakes as well. It's very delicious!

9. Add the vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste into the milk and stir. Also, add a little bit of that milk to the corn starch and mix it until combined. Set the corn starch mixture aside.

10. Over medium heat, melt the white chocolate, with the milk and vanilla mixture and sugar until melted. Then add the corn starch mixture and whisk continuously until thickened.

11. After the vanilla cream has thickened, add the hazelnuts and stir them in. Cover the surface of your pan with some cling foil that you have put on the surface of the cream (so no skin will form) and let it cool completely.

12. Cream the softened butter for a minute, then add the cooled vanilla cream to the butter, and mix until combined.

13. Once the cake is baked, let it cool completely on a wire rack, and then slice the cake into three layers.

14. Combine the milk and rum mixture. Place the first layer of your cake on your plate or cake stand, and add some of the milk and rum mixture over the layer. Then add the cooled vanilla cream, and top it with the second cake layer, that you will sprinkle with the milk mixture again. I'm not specifying the amounts of milk. Add as much as you like. More milk will make a moist cake.

15. Let it cool in your refrigerator over night or at least for 4 hours.

I really hope you will make this cake, I'm actually snacking on it as I type this down. :)

But also, I want to know, what is your favorite cake for a birthday?

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